Nothing Mattress #1

This is a compilation of previously published comics by Brian Connolly. Some of the comics are single page while others are a little more lengthy. The subjects of most of the stories revolve around pop and punk culture and are delivered from the personal perspective of the artist as a young man struggling to find his place in society.

The production quality of this comic is really nice. The pages are ivory paper and the covers are card stock. Just that little extra investment gives this comic a richer feel and look than other self published comics. The artwork is dynamic and the characters and settings are somewhat intentionally exaggerated. A lot of attention is paid to the backgrounds and that adds to the depth of the individual panels and creates a more realistic environment for the large-eyed characters to interact within. Brian’s technique of using a mix of pencil and ink really makes his drawings pop against the ivory paper pages of this comic. The style works well with the overall flow of the stories and is visually inviting. The pacing of the stories is effective as is the transition between stories. I think the comic is entirely hand lettered (at least it looks that way to me). The lettering is easy to read and goes well with the art.